Field
Embodiments of the present invention relate to frames and, particularly, to frames for valve prostheses.
Background
Patients suffering from valve regurgitation or stenotic calcification of the leaflets can be treated with a heart valve replacement procedure. A traditional surgical valve replacement procedure requires a sternotomy and a cardiopulmonary bypass, which creates significant patient trauma and discomfort. Traditional surgical valve procedures can also require extensive recuperation times and may result in life-threatening complications.
One alternative to a traditional surgical valve replacement procedure is delivering the replacement heart valve prosthesis using minimally-invasive techniques. For example, a heart valve prosthesis can be percutaneously and transluminally delivered to an implantation location. In such methods, a heart valve prosthesis can be compressed to be loaded on a delivery catheter; advanced to the implantation location; and re-expanded to be deployed at the implantation location. For example, a catheter loaded with a compressed heart valve prosthesis can be introduced through an opening in the femoral artery and advanced through the aorta to the heart. At the heart, the prosthesis can be re-expanded to be deployed at the aortic valve annulus, for example.
While the valve prosthesis is being compressed, for example, during loading or recapture within a delivery sheath of the delivery system, the prosthesis frame can infold. That is, the frame can buckle or fold over on itself. Infolding creates a risk that the frame may remain folded over when the valve prosthesis is deployed, which may cause valve assembly damage, device migration, paravalvular leakage, or other performance problems. Accordingly, there is a need for a valve prosthesis that reduces the risk of infolding.